Fire escape



H. M. CARLSEN April 10, 1951 FIRE ESCAPE Filed May 22, 1948 INVENTOR. Harte/z /7. Car/sen Patented Apr. 10, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- My present invention relates to an improved fire escape of the type designed to be supported on the exterior wall of a building and having a vertically supporting means for the extension, the extension may drop by gravity to the ground below.

Such a fire escape as I will more fully describe hereinafter requires little space for the extension inasmuch as it lowers vertically, and the installation cost of the fire escape according to my invention will be considerably less than the conventional type now in use.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated one complete example of the physical embodiment of my invention according to the best mode I have thus far devised but it will be understood that various changes and alterations may be made in the exemplified structure within the scope of the appended claim.

, In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the fire escape of my invention shown mounted on a building wall and ready for use.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view taken at line 2-2 of Figure 1.

. Figure 3 is a, horizontal sectional view taken at line 33 of Figure 1.

Referring now to the drawings wherein I have illustrated the present preferred form of my invention I employ a fixed frame including a pair of spaced, parallel channel bars 2 secured by bracket arms 4 to the building wall 6. Across the space between the channel bars Ilocate a series of horizontal rungs 8 suitably attached as by Welding on the front edges of the bars and this structure comprises the stationary portion of the escape. 1 v

To the rear of the fixed frame I provide a pair of journal plates '10 for the shaft l2, and rigidly secured on this shaft are a pair of spaced supports l4 forming hooks having extensions l6 formed with outer cam faces l8 and arcuate inner faces. The cam faces [8 increase in radius toward their outer ends with respect to the center of the shaft l2. A normally horizontal handle for the shaft, as 2|! is looped at 22 and returned at 24 to afford a simple means by which the shaft may be rotated for the hereinafter described purpose.

An extension ladder portion is designed to reciprocate within the stationary portion and to that end I employ a pair of spaced parallel bars 26 having centrally arranged rungs 28 secured therebetween as by welding, and on the lower reciprocable extension detachably' supported in the escape so that by release of the 2 ends of the bars I secure a spring bumper 30 secured to the ladder bars by rivets 32.

With the cam hooks rotated by the shaft out of the path of the extension ladder, the extension portion may be elevated in the channel frames to the desired height above the ground and when the cam hooks are swung back, the cam 1 faces I8 will contact under and support a rung 28 of the extension ladder, while the retaining end of the hook engages over a front lower rung 8 of the fixed frame.

In the illustration I have shown a balcony 34 outside the window 36 and clearly when the need arises, the person emerging from the window onto the balcony may lower the extension portion of the escape by merely pivoting the looped handle 28-44 to swing the cam faces I8 from under the rung 28 whereupon the extension ladder will be free to drop to the ground.

It will be noted that the hooks and the cam faces of the supports for the extension portion are not radial to the center of the shaft but increase in radius toward their outer ends so that as the shaft is rotated and the extensions swing back, the cam faces will lift the rung 28 and the extension portion of the ladder to break any ice, or rust, or foreign matter which might possibly frictionally engage the ladder portions and prevent the gravity drop.

From the above description it will appear obvious that the fire escape of my invention is an improvement over the present horizontally pivoted type which require considerable ground space for the lowering portion, and which involve great expense in mountin upon the building wall.

Having thus fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

In the fire escape described, the combination with a pair of spaced channel bars united by outer rungs rigid with their front edges, an extension ladder having central rungs and mounted in the channel bars, and bearing plates rigid with the rear edges of the channel bars, of a shaft journaled in said plates and a normally horizontal handle for the shaft, a pair of paced supports rigid with the shaft each of said supports having extensions with an inner arcuate edge fitted around and frictionally engaging over an outer rung and an outer cam edge increasing in radius toward its outer end fitted under and frictionally engaging a vertically spaced central rung, whereby tilting of the handle from a hori-' zontal position to a vertical position will cause 3 4 the cam edge to exert great lifting pressure upon UNITED STATES PATENTS said. vertically spaced central rung to raise the extension 1 dder and f ee it for gravity drop Number Name Date a r 607,808 Tiefel July 19, 1898 HERBERT CARLSEN- 910,188 Floyd Jan. 19, 1909 REFERENCES CITED 1,248,189 Sm1th Nov. 2'7, 1917 The following references are of record in the file of this patent: 

